


Canary's Cry

by starshineandhappythoughts



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Spoilers for Arrow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-06-01 05:32:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6502702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starshineandhappythoughts/pseuds/starshineandhappythoughts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on redcharade's prompt on tumblr that stole my brain: "So…who is gonna tell Sara? I kind of want someone to literally board the ship and tell her (I don’t care how unrealistic that is). I want fics, all the fics, about all the different ways and scenarios in which the entire team can close ranks around her and support her. Entire team…that includes Mick, even if he has to do it from a holding cell and I don’t care how unrealistic that is, either. :p"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Canary's Cry

**Author's Note:**

> Just a couple of things:  
> The most important is that I've voided the Len&Mick story line from that scene in the forest on. So these thieves are still best friends and partners.  
> There may be a few Arrow canon inconsistencies regarding The Pit. This is unbeta'd, but I have looked it over a lot trying to find the issues in it. I hope I've caught the majority of it, though preferably I found all the problems. Let me know if you see something and I'll figure out how to fix it on ao3.  
> Speaking of, this is the first time I've posted anything to this website. This is the first time in over a decade that I posted fic on here, LJ, or ffnet. That's... crazy to think about. (Random tumblr posts totally count, but also it's different).  
> Also, redcharade, THANK YOU for the original post, and your amazing feedback while I was writing it on tumblr.  
> Titles... how to you title things??

The windows on the waverider were uncovered, showing the early evening sun as they landed in Central City 2016. They were going to go out for dinner, some dive bar that Snart and Rory were fond of, then Ray was going to rent a car and drive Sara and Kendra back to Star City. She had her bag over her shoulder, some of her own clothes from before, and some of her favourite outfits that Gideon had made for her. They may only be gone a week, but Sara wanted to be safe and have lots of options.

And if she couldn’t decide, she was going to drag Laurel and the other ladies shopping. A girls’ day in Star City would be an awesome way to spend part of her week off. 

They could get pedicures, Sara decided, glancing down at her unpainted toes.

She’d take Laurel and Dad out for dinner after, somewhere too fancy for any of them to feel comfortable so that they’d bail half way through and get burgers or nachos somewhere. Then Sara would get points for the idea, and the even better execution. 

She’d call Nyssa too, once they arrived in Star City. She’d call Nyssa and invite her out for the week. And maybe… well, Sara would always be hopeful where Nyssa was concerned. Sara wasn’t crazy about feelings, but most of those feelings were tied into Nyssa. Nyssa who was her soulmate even when they weren’t together. Who was one of the people Sara wanted to spend all her days with in every life she was lucky enough to have. 

Kendra and Carter may be destined soulmates, but Sara knew if given the choice, she’d spend 207 lives with Nyssa too. They just had somethings to work out first. And they would, _of course_ they would, it was just taking some time. Bouncing on the soles of her feet Sara beamed at the people around her.

“Are we ready yet?” She asked as Jax ran in with a backpack of his own.

“I’m good, I’m good, let’s go!” Jax said, rushing to the waverider doors. “Come on, Rip! We only have a week!”

Rip laughed from the doorway to their rooms. “Good night, have fun. See you in a week. I am going to sleep,” he muttered. “Gideon, let them loose on the world.” 

“Of course, Captain,” the AI said as Rip wandered off. There was a chorus of “bye Rip!” from parts of the crew, and he just waved idly behind them as he vanished down the hallway.

The ship was on a mandatory vacation week away from each other. It was the second one of this sort, grudgingly approved by Rip due to the destruction they had caused the last time they spent too much time together. Everyone was looking forward to spending time in their homes and with their families.

The ship doors opened, and Sara stretched her arms to the sky, beaming at the sun as she did so. It was early April in 2016, not nearly warm enough, but Sara was contemplating a beach trip. Maybe she could convince Laurel to take a few days off of work, and then they could spend those days out of town.

“Were we expecting company?” Stein asked quietly, and it yanked Sara from her thoughts, pulled her back to the present, to the abandoned dead end street the waverider had parked at. 

“Not as far as I know,” Len drawled.

“How would they know we’re here?” Jax asked.

The Flash was several feet in front of them, the uniform familiar to Sara from pictures even if she hadn’t met him yet. Thea hadn’t been able to stop raving about meeting him, and Dig always got this wide eyed dazed look whenever Flash came up. 

It wasn’t just him though. Sara’s grin grew as she took in the Star City vigilante team waiting for them as well. Felicity was the only one not in costume, black sunglasses covered her face as she stared back at the ship. The frown on her face was so strange Sara glanced back at her, since when was Felicity so upset?

_Probably Oliver_ , she decided. Ray had jogged down over to them, chatting happily even if Sara couldn’t make out what he was saying. Ray was usually happy. It was endearing even if it was strange. She glanced down the crowed for Laurel and frowned when she didn’t see her sister.

She glanced again, why wouldn’t Laurel be there? _Nyssa was there_. Nyssa was there looking devastated, so where the hell was Laurel? Sara glanced back to Felicity, to the devastation on her face, to the pain and grief and guilt written on Oliver and Thea’s faces.

All of them, looking upset as they watched Sara with sad careful eyes. 

“No,” Sara breathed out, feeling light headed. Her vision was blurring, she tried focusing on the ground instead of the guilt on Oliver’s face or the grief on Nyssa’s. It was so obvious now that it occurred to her, written so clearly on their faces. Her dad wasn’t there. She didn’t think she could bare to see his face.  _Oh God, how did Laurel do it every time Sara died?_  

She heard the familiar sound of the cold gun before she realized Snart stood beside her, shoulder pressed into Sara’s as he eyed the crowd unhappily. 

“What’s this Scarlet,” he said, waving his gun at the masked superheroes from Star City. 

“None of our business, Snart,” Barry replied. His voice lacked energy, sounded tired and heading towards exhausted. Sara knew that feeling, suddenly all too well she knew that feeling. 

“You kind of made it our business by showing up here, kid,” Len countered. 

“I tried to get them to stay at the Labs,” Barry admitted. 

Sara had never met the Flash, heard about him from Thea, from Dig, from her teammates, from a drunken Snart on more then one occasion, from an angry Mick when he was losing at cards. She had never met him though, and listening to him talk knew instantly that he wore his emotions on his sleeve. She could read it in his posture that he was upset even if she couldn’t see his face. 

“Sara?” And that was Oliver. Sara raised her head, leaning into Len’s side as she looked at him. He looked upset, and an angry part of Sara thought he should. That Oliver should have done a better job to protect Laurel, no matter that Laurel didn’t want or need it. 

“Sara?” And that was Kendra on her other side, beautiful dangerous Kendra taking her hand and holding it. Catching her gaze and holding that too, trying to block out the other people. “We can go back inside. We can go drink with Mick. Play cards. Train. We don’t have to be here.” 

“Too late for that, isn’t it?” Sara asked, and she was proud of herself, proud that her voice wasn’t shaking even though everything in her was moving too quickly, and too slowly, and she couldn’t keep up. 

“We have a time machine,” Jax said softly. Quietly enough that it didn’t carry to Flash or Team Arrow. “Fight you for the captain’s seat.” He was tucked in beside her, hugging her as awkwardly as he could. “We can lock Rip up and then good luck stopping us.” 

“I want to know how,” Sara said, and there it was, her voice catching on her words. “I want to know _why_.” She hid her face in Jax’s shoulder as the tears started, and let him and Kendra lead her back into the spaceship. Stein following behind with a weary look to Len. 

“Do you want back up?” Stein asked. 

“No, go inside,” Sara heard Len reply. 

X 

“This going to be a problem, Red?” Len asked, blocking the door as the others took Sara back inside the ship. His gun was still charged, still pointing in the direction of the Star City vigilante team while he talked to Barry. He wanted to turn, to check on Sara, to leave whatever the hell was happening outside the ship.

But more importantly, he wasn’t letting anyone bombard Sara in the ship. Whatever had happened, and Sara hadn’t needed confirmation to piece it together apparently, it wasn’t good.

“Not by me,” Barry said from where he stood near the others.

“We want to see Sara,” Green Arrow insisted and Len spared him a short glance, his eyes skipping over them all to where Ray was talking to a blond woman.

“That’s nice,” Len said, processing the sad look that crossed Ray’s face. 

“We are going to see Sara,” the Green Arrow said again.

“Try me,” Len replied, smirk in place. He shot the gun in their direction, and Ray was the only one not to jump out of the way. Ray glanced back at him as the ice skirted the area around them, confident in the fact that he wasn’t going to be hit.

Brave. Stupid, but brave.

Len ignored the voice in the back of his head that said he wasn’t actually going to hurt Ray. He may be invested in this team but there were some things he wasn’t ready to accept yet.

The others were shouting as they backed away. Barry was apologizing for backing into the woman in the long trench coat, and for a moment Len’s attention was caught on her. She was still, taking in the scene carefully. The way she analyzed the situation reminded him of Sara, and Len would take a guess that this woman was part of the League of Assassins. Probably the sort-of-ex-girlfriend Sara only talked about when she’d had one too many beers and slipped into melancholy.

After apologizing, Barry flashed to Len’s side looking unamused as he pulled off his mask, and Len squashed down the flair of disappointment it stirred. It was Barry’s fault he was here in the first place. 

“Did you have to?” Barry asked. 

“Yes,” Len said. “What happened here? Why are they all costumed up _and here_?”

“They’re in costumes because they don’t know you and you, in theory, don’t know their secret identities.”

_In theory._ Smart Barry to know Len would research everyone around Barry. Everyone around the Flash. The connections had been easy and obvious to make once Len knew Barry’s identity. There were folders tucked away in a safe house that detailed everyone one of the heroes Barry had every come in contact with. Barry’s was the only one missing. The one that had been burned as soon as it was completed and memorized.

“Do you have any idea how often Sara and Ray talk about their friends?” Len asked instead. “Even if I hadn’t been to the future I would be able to guess the Queen siblings.”

“Don’t tell Oliver that,” Barry said with an awkward smile as he glanced at the group behind him. Len spared them a glance, noting that the smile hadn’t come back to Ray’s face yet. 

“What happened, Scarlet?”

“That’s not for me to say. That’s not for me to confirm before Sara knows. Let one of them talk to her, please. If not Oliver then Nyssa,” Barry said, pointing out the woman in a trench coat. “She loves Sara, and may not be the warmest person, but she’d want to be there for her.”

Len studied the woman in question, then the pleading honest look on Barry’s face.

“Alright, she can come aboard, but no one else.”

“Deal,” Barry said and flashed towards the Star City team.

Len couldn’t really hear what was being said, but he understood the raised voices, Oliver Queens’s and Barry’s, as Barry relayed the news. Eventually, Barry, Nyssa, and Ray walked back to Len’s position as guard.

“Snart, this is Nyssa Al Ghul. Nyssa, Leonard Snart.” 

They said nothing to each other as Len led them into the ship, glancing behind him as Barry hung by the door. “Come on Red, you arranged this. Might as well see the ship.”

Barry’s smile was bright and happy as he jogged up to Len’s side, taking in everything he possibly could as Len and Ray let them to the lounge. 

X 

There was a blanket around Sara, if it was Kendra or Jax’s doing was hard to guess. The scotch in her hand was definitely Stein. Kendra was sitting on the couch with Sara, hugging her tightly. Len could see Sara’s shoulders shake, her hands blocking her face.

“Beloved?” Nyssa asked and Sara gasped, whether it was in surprise or a sob Len couldn’t tell. But she raised her head from Kendra’s shoulder and tears were running down her face when she looked up. 

“Please no,” she said. Nyssa stepped forward, kneeling on the carpet in front of the couch as she hugged Sara. Sara’s arms going around Nyssa automatically. “Please no,” she repeated.

“I wish I could,” Nyssa replied. “Oh Sara, I wish I could.”

Stein placed another glass of scotch on the table, and stepped away from the couch again. He was standing against a wall, Jax beside him. Both looked uncomfortable and upset as they watched the women on the couch. Kendra rubbed Sara’s back for another moment before getting off the couch herself and letting Nyssa take her spot.

“Damien Darhk,” Nyssa said. “He killed her. The shock… it put your dad in the hospital otherwise he’d be here.”

Len glanced at the team mates awkwardly standing around and waved them out of the lounge. He glanced at the two heads bent together as he closed the door. There would be time for them to be there with Sara, but not at the moment. They ended up in the main room, Len dropping into one of the chairs and glancing at Gideon’s stand.

“Gideon, where is Damien Darhk?” he asked and watched curiously as Barry’s head flew up, confusion and surprise dancing over his unmasked face.

“Damien Darhk is currently in Star City,” The AI said. “He has been there for most of a year operating as H.I.V.E." 

“If we take him down does that alter the timeline?”

Gideon was silent for a long moment, longer then it usually needed to be to process the results.

“Gideon, answer the question,” Barry said as he sat beside Len. “If Darhk is taken out of the picture now, how does that effect things? If we go back a month, two months, to before Felicity’s accident, how does that effect things?”

He sounded stern, authoritive, the kind of thing Len would expect from a member of the CCPD, but the kind of strength that only showed itself when Barry was in the Flash uniform. Len knew it was always there, but he sometimes wondered if Barry did.

“That is an unwise course of action, Mr. Allen,” Gideon said.

“I didn’t ask if it is wise, Gideon. I asked if it makes things better or worse.”

Again, Gideon was silent for a long time.

“Gideon, answer my question.”

The AI sounded tense when it replied. “If you personally go back to stop Darhk, Mr. Allen, you will die. But not until after he tortures Iris, Caitlin, Joe, Cisco, Jesse, everyone you care about will suffer before he kills you. And then Zoom will win.”

“That’s a hypothetical option if it’s me that goes back.”

“Why the _hell_ is Sara crying?” Mick’s growly voice barged into the suddenly quiet room. “Who do I need to burn?” He had a bag on his shoulder as well, had taken a bit longer to get ready for their week off.

“Damien Darhk,” the room chorused quietly.

“Right, and where do I find him?” Mick asked, hand on his gun.

“I’m going to go,” Barry said quietly. “I’ll take the tour another time,” he said to Len. He stood, glancing wearily at Mick before turning to Gideon. “Listen to me, Gideon. If they decide to go back and stop Darhk, you will take them, you will help them in any possible way you can, and then you will return them here to me. Do you understand?”

There was another long pause, and then, “Of course, Mr. Allen.”

“Good,” Barry said, glancing again at Mick then Len. “If there is anything I can do for Sara, let me know.” He said to the room in general. “They’re planning the funeral, but don’t have a date yet. I’ll let you know,” he said and then left.

“What do we do,” Jax asked, breaking the silence around them. “How do we help her?”

“We get her drunk,” Kendra said. “I’ll do an alcohol run, who is getting dinner?”

“We’ll get food,” Jax said after glancing at Stein.

“Good,” Kendra said. “Go grocery shopping as well, actually. Add things that are easy to eat. Yoghurt, all ready pealed fruit, grapes, blueberries. Things that are easy to snack on but also healthy.”

“Why?” Jax asked watching Kendra grab her purse.

“You try eating when you’re grieving,” Ray said quietly and Kendra nodded.

X

“I’m so sorry,” Nyssa whispered again. She said other things, retold what had happened as she had been informed of it, what the next steps were. Sara only heard some of it, sometimes her crying was too loud, others her mind was too loud. But she heard some of the details, heard Nyssa’s grief as she talked about Laurel, about the last time they had spent time together. About training and how awesome Laurel was, how she shined when she defended people, both as a lawyer and as Black Canary.

And Nyssa’s obvious adoration for Laurel made something better, pleased Sara that they had each other while Sara was dead, while she was traveling and trying to sort herself out.

“What about the Pit?” Sara asked. The idea had been circling around in her mind for a few minutes. It had brought Thea back. It had brought Sara back _after a year_. “What about the Pit,” she said again when Nyssa said nothing. “Nyssa, please.”

“Your father will not allow it,” she said finally. “I… I offered as soon as I arrived.” And all at once Sara felt all the love she had for Nyssa because Nyssa hated the Pit, didn’t believe that you should bring the dead back. She had fought Laurel about bringing Sara back. Had known the consequences involved. Yet she still offered.

“Well, he doesn’t get to make that decision,” Sara said.

“He’s your father,” Nyssa said.

“She’s my sister. She did the same for me. If we get Constantine, we can make it work. It worked for me, for Thea. We deal with the bloodlust. Laurel is stronger then both of us, she’ll do better then we are.”

Nyssa closed her eyes, taking in a shuddering breath before opening them to meet Sara’s. “If you and your father come to an agreement, the Pit is open to Laurel." 

“Thank-thank you,” Sara said, her voice shaking as the tears started again. “I can’t believe – she can’t be dead, oh _Laurel_ ,” she said, voice hitching as she cried. “Laurel, how did you _do this_ so many times?”

X

Mick and Len were a few rooms away from Sara and Nyssa, neither having the stomach to listen to her cry and not being able to help her. They had made it their mission to gather whatever supplies they could find in the waverider for what was likely to be a long night.

“Damien Darhk is another immortal?” Mick asked as he pulled out all the extra blankets from the linen closet and tossed them into a pile.

“Appears that way,” Len said as he stole pillows from Kendra and Ray’s room and added it to the ones he’s grabbed from Sara, Jax, and Stein’s.

“Barry Allen is the Flash.”

“Appears that way,” Len said again. He glanced at Mick as he opened the games drawer that Jax kept stocked. There was monopoly, a few decks of cards, a few games from various time zones, and Jax’s Cards Against Humanity set. That had been interesting the first time they’d played. And more so the second time when they were more familiar with each other. He added that to the pile of pillows, and tossed in a few decks of playing cards as well.

Mick snorted, shaking his head. “You didn’t really hide that fact well, Len,” Mick said. “All of the sudden you’re stalking two people?”

“Appeared that way,” Len said and Mick shook his head again.

“Not to someone who knows you,” Mick said. They grinned at each other, decades of history and familiarity between them. Mick knew Len as well as Lisa did, the three of them being so tied together for so long.

They picked up the pile of blankets and games before heading back to the main room. Len dropped his piles on the chairs and headed into the kitchen to start boiling hot water and preheat the oven. Mick had opened the two remaining beers when Jax and Stein walked in with multiple bags between them.

“I think we have the basics covered,” Stein said. “We’ll make pizza for dinner. Should be something she’s okay eating.”

“And we got a lot of healthy snack things too,” Jax said, holding up his own bags. “And granola bars. Sometimes those are just easiest.”

The water finally boiled, and Len carefully made a thermos full of hot chocolate smiling when he tasted the end result. He ignored the amusement on Mick’s face even as he put the thermos by the bag of mini marshmallows.

“We got cups,” Kendra said as she and Ray walked in holding two cardboard boxes. “Figured non breakable might be better,” she said and held up the bag of red cups. While the pizza’s cooked they filled up one of the boxes with the alcohol, snacks, paper towels, and whatever else they could fit. Stein handed them a jug of water to add to the collection.

Jax switched out the two pizzas when they were finished cooking with two uncooked ones. Pulling out a pizza cutter he set about slicing the pizza, eating the first piece with a grin.

“I figured four pizzas might be good for eight of us,” he said. “Plus whatever else there is."

“Sounds good, kid,” Len said. He grabbed the thermos and marshmallows before he headed out of the kitchen.

The lounge was silent as he approached the doors, but Len knocked briefly as he glanced in. The two women on the couch turned to look at him, both still visibly upset but they appeared calmer.

“We got dinner,” Len said quietly and Sara blinked a few times, whipping at her eyes again.

“It’s your week off,” She said quietly.

“We’ll negotiate with Rip for some more time,” he said as he handed her the bag and placed the thermos on the table.

“More like we won’t give him a choice,” Jax said as he dropped one of the pizzas on the table. They added another table to the side of the room, dropping more pizza there along with other snack foods.

Stein exchanged the empty scotch cups on the coffee table with fresh filled ones, took the others back into the kitchen. Blankets got tossed on the floor, and Len dropped onto the floor, leaning against the couch and glancing up at Sara as he handed her a cup of hot chocolate. He smiled when she tossed some of the marshmallows into it.

Len glanced at Nyssa as the team settled down, on couches, chairs, the floor, anywhere they could around the tables of food. Ray poured them all the first round and wrote names on the red cups. He glanced at Len when he did so, writing Snart in easily readable letters, and Len realized it wasn’t so they wouldn’t mix up glasses, it’s so they didn’t ruin the moment by introducing themselves to Nyssa. From the way she analysed the cups she knew that as well.

“We got poker,” Mick said as he took the remaining seat on the couch, his legs leaning against Len’s shoulder.

“I’ll pass this time,” Sara said quietly. 

“Suit yourself,” Mick said and dealt the rest in. Then he leaned over to Sara and made a joke about the despair on Jax’s face.

“It’s true, Jax,” Sara said. “You need a better poker face.”

“So says the assassin with her criminal friends,” Jax snarked and ducked the marshmallow that Sara threw at his head.

X 

The next morning found them all in uncomfortable positions, Len with his head against Mick’s thigh as a pillow, Jax under the table with Len’s blanket as a pillow. Kendra was curled up beside Nyssa, making for a very cramped couch as the three women curled together and squished into Mick. Ray was stretched out face down on the floor. Len had planned to throw him a blanket at some point, but may have gotten distracted with shots.

Stein had, rather drunkenly, stumbled towards his bed sometime near 2 am. He’d stopped behind Sara, placing a hand on her shoulder and kissing the top of her head.

“We shall be here for you, whatever you need,” he said and was met with a chorus of cheers of agreement as he left.

Len shifted, leaning his back against Mick’s legs and glancing over at Sara. Her eyes were open, taking in the trashed room. She still looked brokenhearted, like a piece of her world would never be okay again.

That, that Len got, and longed fiercely for Lisa. As he watched Sara he made a plan to bring Lisa on board and kick Rip’s ass if there was any complaint.

“Thank you,” Sara said quietly and Len just smiled back at her.

“You heard Stein. Whatever you need,” he said. He saw her eyes fill again, she shut them tightly, taking several shaky breaths before they evened out. She opened them again and offered a shaky smile. “What I need is breakfast,” she said.

“Oooh man, can we have bacon?” Jax’s voice asked from below the table. He shifted around before smashing his head on the table, the sound waking Nyssa and Mick.

“Bacon is already started,” Stein said as he entered the lounge, looking slightly worse for wear, though he’d already showered. He had a two jugs of water in his hands. The first emptied in the first round of waters he poured for the team. “Jax, if you remove yourself from under the table you can have some bacon.”

“You could bring the bacon here, Gray,” he said and groaned as he tried to move. “Oooh this is going to be worse then the time you drugged me,” he said.

Mick snorted, proving he was awake and listening.

“At least this time it’s self inflicted,” Stein said easily. He and Jax had come to their own terms about the incident, and it had, thankfully, helped level some of their issues.

X

They were sitting around the kitchen table, bacon, eggs, and fruit in front of them. Sara picked at her food, disinterested due to the hangover or a lack of appetite they weren’t sure. Kendra refilled Sara’s coffee, running her fingers through Sara’s tangled blond hair. She dropped a breakfast shake in front of Sara, giving her the option, and Sara drank at it with the same lack of interest, but at least it was something.

Grabbing a piece of watermelon from Sara’s plate, she poured Nyssa and Ray more coffee too. Ray, with his blurry eyes and an obvious hangover, was endearing and slow to the point and smiled at her smittenly. That was really good for her ego, and Kendra smiled back at him.

Had they been paying more attention they might have heard the footsteps announcing him, but instead they were greeted to Rip throwing open the kitchen door swearing.

“What the fuck happened to the lounge? Why are there holes in the walls? Why are you all still here? Who is that? What have we said about bringing strangers to the ship? Are you all hung over? Who is going to fix the walls? What were you doing?”

“Rip, do yourself a favor and shut up,” Kendra said kindly as she placed the coffee craft down.

“Clean up the mess, then get the hell off my ship. Go see your families. Why the hell is Sara crying? Ow _SHIT_ Kendra, what the hell?” Rip demanded, cupping his suddenly bleeding nose as the team, minus Sara, cheered around Kendra.

“I love you,” Ray said, his eyes still glassy as he beamed up at her, causing another round of laughter, this one Sara and Nyssa joined in on.

End

**Author's Note:**

> If you want you can follow me on tumblr at the same username!


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